Queen of Pentacles: Finding Your Security

I’ve been thinking about all of the different blogs that are out there, especially ones about tarot. There are many wonderful tarot blogs but I want to do something a little different. One of my specialties as a tarot reader and a Reiki healer is helping people discover and heal their shadows. For those of you not in the know, the shadow is that part of yourself that makes itself known in the most inopportune ways after suppressing aspects of ourselves that that we do not want others to see. These things can be either positive or negative and can come out in a number of ways, many of which are not very flattering. In order to come to terms with these shadows, we must bring them into the light and work with them rather than against them. The dark is as much a part of us as the light is and to be a person that is completely balanced, we must work with our shadows in order to make peace with them.

Sometimes we bury our shadows so deep that it is difficult to determine where the shadows came from in the first place. A lot of detective work goes into shadow work. We have to fist figure out what the shadow is, then we need to decipher how the shadow came to be in the first place and then we need to take the actions required to retrain ourselves to rework the shadow. This is where tarot can come in. Within the cards, there are clues to our shadows. The cards have a way to delve into the subconscious when we are giving readings, so why not use that information with ourselves to do shadow work? There are many people who already use tarot to help others but never even thought to do so for them. It takes courage to want to do shadow work. You have to be willing to come face to face with your shadows and it can sometimes be very painful. I will tell you that it is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience and well worth the effort and pain that can come with it.

Every month, I will post a card showing general information about the meanings of the card and its shadow aspects. I will also provide some suggestions to help you heal the shadow along with a monthly affirmation to help you stay on track. Some of them may be simple and some may be more complicated. Please remember that these are only suggestions and depending on the card, the shadow may not apply to you. I suggest grabbing the same card from your favorite deck and see if you see the same shadows apply to you or if something else comes to you. What one person sees in a card, another will not. It’s important to use your intuition just as much as it is for the traditional meaning of the card. What is it that you notice in the card? Is there something that makes you angry about the card? What makes you happy? Do you feel anything physical? Use that as a starting point. The idea is to work with one particular shadow for the entire month. For some shadows, this will be enough time, but others will require more time to work things out but after 30 days, you are well on your way. With any kind of shadow work, I highly recommend keeping a journal to help you really work through the issues. It’s an invaluable tool to that can really help you gain more insight into yourself and your behaviors.

This month’s card is the Queen of Pentacles. The Queen of Pentacles is very down to earth, practical and secure. This is someone who is good with money, knows how to make a house a home, and makes everyone feel welcome. She is the happy home maker and gracious hostess. In the Victorian Romantic deck, a woman sits, holding a large gold disk in her gloved hands, a signature of a wealthy woman. She is dressed in a fancy red dress signifying power, love and passion: someone who is passionate about their home and lifestyle. In her full black hair (indicating authority) she wears a yellow bow, further showing that she is happy about her lot in life. Behind her, is a rather large home which looks more like a mansion than a house, with greenery climbing up with walls, indicating growth of money and finances. Looking at all of the aspects of this card, you automatically get a feeling of stability and financial security.

The shadow side of the Queen of Pentacles can be someone who is insecure, impractical, or snobbish. Instead of making someone feel welcome in their home, they make it seem as though coming into their home is a privilege. This can also be someone who spends a lot of money without thinking of any consequences that it may bring. Perhaps they don’t have enough money to be spending on things that are not needed. Maybe they are insecure about themselves and buying things that they don’t need and can’t afford brings them a certain amount of security. Another shadow aspect can be someone who doesn’t spend as much time at home or on housework as they should. Her home life does not make her happy so she avoids it as much as possible. The flip side is also a shadow: someone who spends too much time at home and not enough time with friends or doing things outside of the home.

Now that you know some shadows, you need to figure out why these shadows exist. This is where the journaling comes in. Be sure to write down any feelings that you have about anything that comes up. Do not censor anything. If staying at home makes you angry, write it down. If spending money makes you happy, write it down. Write down everything as it comes to you. Don’t try to force anything as to “why” you feel the way that you do, it will happen in time. Meditating is another great way to help the “why’s” come to the surface. Again, it takes time so don’t rush it. Just allow it to happen.

In the meantime, there are a few things that you can do to reverse the shadows. For instance, if you tend to spend a lot of money on things that you don’t need, take 1 month and purchase only things that you need to survive, like food, gas, household bills, etc. If you aren’t able to do it cold turkey, purchase only one thing. It will make you think very carefully about that one thing that you want to buy, making it more special to you. If you do not like to spend a lot of time at home, take one month and spend more time at home. If you tend to go out with friends several times a week, take 2 or 3 days a week where you spend it at home. On the other side, if you spend all of your time at home, go out and do something 2 or 3 times a week. You don’t have to spend money doing it and you don’t have to do it alone. There are many different ways that it can be done. The point is to get out of the house, even if it is just for a long walk or drive.

Doing these exercises is important for healing the shadow. If you do not work at it, they will continue to make themselves known, more than likely at a time that you do not want them to show themselves, like buying a complete wardrobe, or a surround sound system, only to discover that you no longer have the money that you need to pay your rent. Remember “if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." Henry Ford

This month’s affirmation:

“I am secure in myself and have everything that I need.”

(Queen of Pentacles card is from the 2nd Edition of the Victorian Romantic Tarot by Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahoney, Baba Studio.)

Reading the cards since 1999, Machelle enjoys using her empathy and intuition to assist others gain insight into their lives, helping them on their path of personal development and enlightenment. Her specialty is working with shadows, where she helps others discover and heal the hidden shadows of self that have been tucked away for self preservation but have, in fact, limited each person’s ability to live to their fullest potential. Also a Reiki Practitioner, she is committed to helping others heal through her business Ray of Light Tarot & Reiki.